Summer's Road Diary - Conquering Food ChoicesJuly 9 2017

Hello! I'm Summer Jakopak and I'm a driver for K & J Trucking. I've committed to try and lose weight over the next few months and K & J asked me to blog about my efforts to lose weight while on the road. Here is the first installment!

A very important man in my life is fond of saying that the only real difference between humans and all the other animals on this planet is our ability to believe the lies that we tell ourselves. As I write this first post about my weight loss journey, I realize that I have a problem recognizing and owning up to all the lies I tell myself – I’m too busy, I’m too tired, I’ll start tomorrow, there are no good food options on the road, the weather is not conducive to exercising, the cab is too small, its too dangerous outside as a female truck driver… And the list of lies about why I cannot seem to start losing weight could continue endlessly.

While I try to be an honest person, I realize I do an awful lot of lying to myself! Hopefully this will be the first admission of dishonesty that can spur me to analyze the other lies I seem to tell myself and believe; hook, line, and sinker.

Drop Dead, Junk Food!

My first task was to set a "drop dead time" after which I would no longer partake in junk food – no more soda, no more chocolate, no more chips, no more cheese. Just fresh fruits, veggies, nuts, and the occasional meat cooked at home, purchased from the fresh, organic supermarket aisle. Just rabbit food... No dip... No FUN! I chose June 1st.

June 1st came… And June 1st went. I tried, but every day I fell off the bandwagon – and I told myself there is always tomorrow. I did eat less junk, and added salad and fresh veggies; and I thought about what I was eating – so it was at least a start, right? But in the spirit of not lying to myself, I recognize I could have done better. It is an exercise in forgiveness to admit this to myself– and really there is always tomorrow!

Which Brings Me to This Week...

As per usual, this week my family (ahem, my husband's honey-do list) kept me busy at home right up to my departure time, and as such, I didn’t even get the chance to wash my clothing or stop at the grocery store for my usual healthy food purchases for the week! So off down the road I drove, one change of clothing and a few stalks of celery along for the trip! No Time – No Time! While this could be an excuse for me to hide behind, I think I have made the best of it. I did a salad bar in the restaurant one day for lunch, purchased these amazing little single salads that are popping up in many of the truck stops, had a couple yogurts with fresh fruit, and have been noticing several other healthy options to eat like hard boiled eggs (nope, not gonna do it, but lots of other people like eggs…). And the soup/stew available almost everywhere is actually not half bad. While I set myself up to fail this week through my lack of preparation, and I did fall off the bandwagon here and there, I am actually pretty excited that I ate so many salads when I could have really eaten terribly!

Exercise Is A Struggle

I have not succeeded in finding a way to exercise in the truck yet. I’m not gonna lie, I don’t think its because the truck is too small, the weather is crummy, or it's too dangerous. I think I’m just not motivated yet – one thing at a time right now. Right now I am trying to conquer my food choices, and I'm still struggling with that one. Maybe later this month it will be ‘Add Exercise’ time – but for now I am focused on my daily food choices and recognizing and calling out my own lies to myself. Whew – who knew making such a simple life change as deciding to lose some weight could become such a philosophical, soul searching, life-enriching decision?

I'm going to keep you updated on my journey to better health. I hope you join me and share your tips and tricks!